Port Moresby

Today was the first real day of being here. Yesterday after we arrived it was pretty much hanging out in the hotel, reading by the pool and falling asleep very early. When we flew in it was gorgeous: reefs off the coast, wetlands around the airport, etc.

Today I got to actually drive around a bit and see Port Moresby. We had a meeting this morning at the Conservation International offices about the Conservation Area that we are trying to establish (and has been in the works for 2 years!). There are still some beaurocratic hurdles to overcome but now we know that the minister can go ahead and declare it if he so chooses. With elections literally around the corner, we hope that he chooses to do so and score the "first conservation area in PNG" while he is still in office. But, not a big surprize - things here take a long time.... so we'll see. We are probably going to stay in Port Moresby until Friday just in case there is anything we can do to speed things along and help out during this window. By the time we come out of the bush, the elections will be underway and nothing will happen until at least August.

We also headed to another meeting about research visas on the other side of town. I really like driving around to see things. This is certainly not a place where you strap on you shoes and go for a stroll to see the sites. There is a lot cement and barbed wire and security fences and people loitering- but also a lot of gorgeous flowering trees and smiling people.

Tomorrow is World Environment Day but we weren't here early enough to plan anything official so we will likely go check out the Botanic Garden which also includes a bunch of tree roos and snakes and birds.... should be neat. My first tree roos!!!! Pictures to share then!